Various machines have been developed for pressing juice from vegetables and fruit. In recently issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,524 a combined grater and press is disclosed which utilizes a single press bag in which the fruit pulp is pressed. This unit combines all of the elements of feeding, shredding, pressing, pomace disposal, juice filtration and dispensing, which elements can all be accomplished in one sanitary unit. Thus, the unit can be placed in a retail store and live up to design criteria of the National Sanitation Foundation. While the foregoing machine preformed in a satisfactory manner, it required a 1 1/2 horsepower motor due to the high energy requirements of the shredder. This in turn required that the machine be connected to a 220 volt circuit within the store. In addition, the foregoing machine was relatively noisy and occupied more floor space than was absolutely necessary. Because foregoing machine had only a single press bag, it was necessary to stop the grating of the fruits or vegetables during pressing, and it was necessary to stop pressing during shredding.
A prior double filter cloth press is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,011. In this design an intermediate fixed platen is provided, there being filter cloths to either side of the fixed platen. A pair of movable platens pressed the filter cloth against the fixed platen. This prior machine did not incorporate a shredder or grater, used open bottom filter sleeves requiring that the bags be shaken in the press, and required the use of press aids which gave the juice an off taste.
Many other designs are known from the prior art but none have achieved the desired simplicity of operation, low power and noise requirements, minimal floor space, and have been able to meet the design criteria of the National Sanitation Foundation.